Eleven thousand students competed and 650 were selected to attend the YoungArts Week, where finalists worked with master teachers and mentors in their field and showcased their work through performances, film screenings, an art exhibition and writers’ readings.

Also earning accolades recently were 15-year-old Next Generation dancers John Hewitt and 14-year-old Chandler Hammond. Hewitt won the senior gold medal at the same competition. Hammond is enrolled in Florida Virtual School and attends Blake High School. Competing against dancers from Venezuela, Canada and Panama, Lithia’s Hammond took the top prize of Grand Prix at the Star of the 21st Century International Ballet Competition held in Panama last month. Both are instructed by Peter Stark, Patel Conservatory dance chair.

These students will join other members of the troupe in “Sleeping Beauty” May 9 to 10 at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.